Endangered Lives
by JennieJane
Summary: Her eyes widened when she saw the dark figure looming in the corner. A ki blade could be seen in the creature's hands. A second too late her warning came, and his body crashed as the blade cut his chest. She screamed and everything turned black.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I know! I know! It's not good to have several stories to update at once, but… oh well… plz read and review!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DBZ!

Chapter 1: Who Did This?

"Bulma, dear!" Mrs. Briefs called as she hurried after her only daughter, "Your father and I were thinking about taking Trunks out. You know he is lonely here with no one to play with. We want to take him to the amusement park! He's only seven years old, he should have a lot of fun there, right?" she said as she smiled giddily the way she always did. Bulma nodded, "Sure, why not? He could use some time out." Her mother then headed towards the indoor garden where she spends most of her time.

Later that day, the oldest couple was in the car with their grandchild, "We might be a little late. We're taking Trunks to a restaurant too, so I don't want you to worry." Dr. Briefs stated as he sat in the driver's seat. Bulma nodded and headed inside once the trio was gone.

"Woman! Where's the brat? It's time for his training!" Vegeta yelled from his gravity room, and Bulma yelled right back at him, "First of all, he's not **a** brat, he's **our** brat. Second of all, he's not training today because he's out with his grandparents."

Vegeta grunted in response, obviously annoyed. These petty Earth stuff were going to turn his son into a weakling!

The sun was setting, and it was a beautiful evening outside. Thus, a blue-haired genius was outside drinking some coffee as she enjoyed the great view. Bulma sneezed, "Woman, get inside, unless you want to catch a cold?" Bulma chuckled, "Is it me or do you really care about my health?" she said sarcastically which gave her a snort as a reply. After a couple of minutes, Bulma decided that it was too cold to stay outside.

However, just as she entered the house, all the lights went out. 'Electricity's out? Weird. I thought that I found a solution to that problem.' She thought with confusion. "What's going on, Woman?" Vegeta asked gruffly. "Electricity's out." She replied calmly as she walked towards a cabinet that she was sure contained a flashlight. She switched it on, right in Vegeta's eye, who covered them quickly. "Oops. Sorry." She said as she tried to stifle her laughs, but failing miserably, 'One of the strongest fighters in the universe, yet so vulnerable under the mercy of light in his eyes.' She thought sarcastically.

However, her chuckles died down when she saw a dark figure looming in the shadows. The figure generated a ki sword and was planning to jab it right through Vegeta's heart. "Vegeta! Watch out!" Bulma yelled out frantically. A bit too slow, Vegeta uncovered his eyes and turned around to see what was frightening Bulma so much. However, all he saw was a flash light, and everything in his world turned black.

Bulma's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she saw her husband getting killed. She rushed to his side, but all her attempts to help were cut short when she removed her hands which were covered in his blood. She shrieked before she heard a maniacal laugh and fell unconscious at her husband's side.

Elsewhere, practically in the middle of nowhere, Gohan and Goten were splashing around in the water after their mother ordered them to have a much needed bath.

"Take this!" Goten exclaimed as he pushed a huge amount of water at his older brother who closed his eyes awaiting the impact. However, their joy was cut short when Gohan's face became serious as he felt Vegeta's quickly shrinking ki.

"Goten! Why don't you continue without me?" he said as he got out of the tub and swiftly put on his clothes. "Okay, big brother!"

Gohan exploded his ki around him and tried to get to Capsule Corp. as fast as he could. "It seems that I'm not the only one who felt it." Came a strong voice from his left. Gohan acknowledged his Namekian mentor with a nod. "And we're not the only ones too." Gohan said when he felt three power levels approaching them.

The six people touched down in front of the house. "I wonder what's going on?" Krillin spoke his thoughts aloud earning nods from Tien and Yamcha. Gohan and Piccolo were in the house in an instant, quickly looking for the quickly dissipating ki.

"Oh my God!" Yamcha exclaimed as he saw the ugly gash that was spread across the saiyan prince's chest and the female lying unconscious right beside him, "What the hell happened here?"

"Who cares? Those two need help. Let's take them to Dende's." Piccolo ordered as he carried Vegeta on his shoulder while Gohan carried Bulma.

When they got to the lookout, Dende and Mr. Popo were already waiting for them. Dende examined both and said, "Bulma will be fine. And Vegeta…" he put his glowing hands above Vegeta, trying to heal him. However, minutes passed and Vegeta's wound was not cured. "Won't." he continued his sentence.

Gohan was the first toask the unspoken question, "What do you mean Dende?" Said guardian of Earth started explaining, "Whatever attacked them used a type of weapon that I cannot cure the injuries of. And seeing Vegeta's deep injury…" he paused, "It's kind of hard for him to be okay." The others took that in, "You mean… he's going to die?" Krillin asked. "Not if you get him immediate help on Earth. Then, he might survive." Dende said trying to lighten the mood. The others nodded and flew off, Gohan carrying Vegeta to the nearest hospital he can find.

All flew off… except Piccolo. "There's something you're not telling us Dende." He said suspiciously. The young Namekian sighed, "Well… You see… The thing that attacked Vegeta used something I cannot heal… and something the dragonballs can't heal either." He explained, hoping that the oldest got the idea. "So what you're saying is that if Vegeta dies because of that, we won't be able to bring him back?" Dende nodded apologetically. And with that, Piccolo left the lookout and went to find Gohan.

Down on Earth, Gohan and the others had just got Vegeta and Bulma to a hospital. A few minutes later, Chi-Chi and Goten came and Chi-Chi was beyond furious. "SON GOHAN! HOW DARE YOU GO SOMEWHERE WITHOUT ASKING MY PERMISSION?" she yelled a bit too loudly, but after she saw the mood that was set, she lowered her voice, "What's happening here?" and that was when Piccolo walked in, scaring a few humans. "Give me some time and I'll explain."

Half an hour later, Piccolo explained everything that happened and everything that he learned from Dende. "Poor Trunks." Said Chi-Chi, "I bet he would be devastated when he finds out… And speaking of Trunks, where is he?" The others all shook their heads.

Then, Chi-Chi left to call Mrs. Briefs and Dr. Briefs and tell them everything. The fighters were left in an uncomfortable silence. 'With all the action, I completely forgot about Trunks. Poor guy.' Thought Gohan sympathetically. An hour later, Bulma's parents were at the hospital with Trunks, who appeared to be not knowing of what was going on.

Thus, Trunks did what he did everytime his mother or father weren't around to explain something to him, he turned to Gohan. "Gohan? What's happening? Where are my mom and dad?" he asked, worry evident in his voice. Gohan sighed, "Come sit down and I'll tell you."

Dr. Briefs and Mrs. Briefs were at their daughter's side, worrying about both their daughter and son-in-law. Chi-Chi went in later on to comfort them, thought little could be done. In some time, Gohan told Trunks everything he needs to know, keeping out all the scary details like not being able to wish his father back.

However, Chi-Chi returned after they got to the group. She looked anxious and distressed. "What's wrong mom?" Gohan asked. Chi-Chi took a deep breath and said in a grim voice, "Bulma woke up… but she's not normal anymore!"

Author's Notes: Hope you liked the first chapter of this story! Plz read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: sorry for the long wait! Anyways, here's a new chapter of "Endangered Lives"

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DBZ!

Chapter 2: It's Just Too Much!

Hurried footsteps could be heard as the Z gang made its way to Bulma's room. 'Why does this have to happen to me?' Trunks asked himself, the reality of the situation hitting him as hard as a brick wall. The group finally made it to room 401. Chi-Chi knocked and entered the room, followed by all the other fighters.

An uneasy silence drifted in the room while the group of friends studied Bulma's appearance. Her eyes were half-closed, and she seemed really tired and paler than usual. When the door closed shut, she looked at them with a clouded expression. Trunks was the first to break the silence.

"Mom! Are you okay?" he exclaimed, hoping that this was all a bad dream.

Bulma's eyes rested on the speaker, noticing his worried look. However, what came next was what shocked everyone.

"Excuse me, but… who are you?" she asked, her tone pushing away any thoughts of a joke.

Trunks' eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth hanging open while the others gasped in horror. Yamcha shook his head, refusing to deem what he was hearing correct. He grabbed Trunks and pointed at him.

"Look at him closely Bulma! This is your son, Trunks! You have to remember!" he shouted at her, earning a saddened stare from the blue-haired mother.

"I'm… sorry." Was all she could say. Then, Chi-Chi pulled Trunks away from the other trying to comfort him with the help of Goten.

"Sir, Mrs. Briefs has a severe case of amnesia. And your shouting is only making it worse." A serious voice said as a doctor made his way to the bed Bulma was resting on. 'Dr. Sagi Kurata' was printed on the doctor's uniform. Dr. Sagi took his stethoscope and checked her heart beats. While the doctor continued his checkup, Gohan and Piccolo were silently conversing. With a nod, Gohan spoke up.

"Excuse me sir, what was it caused by?" he asked, pointing his questioning look to the doctor. The doctor smiled approvingly.

"I admire your curiosity, child. The general cause is a psychological trauma. And the specific… well, I think you know about her husband's condition, right?" the doctor replied calmly, earning an understanding nod from Gohan.

Gohan watched his mother's and brother's futile attempts in cheering Trunks up. Gohan grimaced, giving the younger boy a pitied stare. 'Poor Trunks… He's taking it harder than any of us.' He shook his head, 'Of course he would. The only ones suffering are his parents after all.'

Gohan sighed and decided to talk to Trunks a bit. Trunks trusted him more than any of the other fighters, he was practically an older brother to him, so he might as well act like one.

"Hey Trunks." He greeted as he motioned for the other two to leave them alone.

"Let's go for a walk outside. You could use some fresh air." He continued while smiling at him. Trunks nodded and trailed behind the older warrior.

"Listen…" Gohan started awkwardly, unsure of what to say or do, "I don't want you to feel miserable all the time." Trunks snorted, annoyed by Gohan's try.

"Easy for you to say. It's not your dad or your mom who are in there…" Trunks said. Gohan sighed, 'This is going to be harder than I thought.'

"That's not what I meant Trunks. I suggest that you give them both some time, and they'll be fine! Your dad is the strongest warrior alive! And your mom is the most stubborn woman I know! Neither will give up! So cheer up! And I'm positive that both of them will survive because they care so much about you Trunks!" However, Gohan's speech didn't get the reaction he wanted. Trunks' eyes were gleaming with unshed tears, tears he was fighting so hard not to drop, tears that haven't fallen since he was one.

'Great work, Gohan! You blew it up and made him feel worse!' he thought, angry at himself for not being able to help Trunks. Gohan took a deep breath, and dropped to eye level with the younger boy. However, Trunks looked away, unable to meet Gohan's gaze. 'Don't cry Trunks! Remember what your father told you! Crying is for the weak! Not for strong warriors like you!' Nevertheless, Trunks' desperate tries to stop his tears were in vain.

Before he knew what he was doing, Trunks let the tears flow freely, his depressed exterior a perfect replica of his feelings at the moment. Gohan heaved a sigh and held Trunks in a tight embrace, a hug that brothers share when one of them is feeling distressed and needs a shoulder to lean on. Furthermore, Gohan was struggling to be that shoulder, and he would make sure that Trunks didn't fall.

"It's okay Trunks. It's all right to cry sometimes." He reassured the smaller fighter, his voice not higher than a whisper. After some time, the seven-year-old's cries died down, and he decided to do something he didn't usually do.

"Thank you Gohan." He said, his spirits finally lifting. Gohan shook his head.

"I was just doing my job as your friend and older brother." Gohan said with a smile. Trunks beamed cheerfully at him, and the two walked side-by-side into the white building.

Author's Notes: I was on the verge on crying while writing this… I hope you like it! Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review/favorite/follow! : )


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: I'm back with a new chapter! I have to finish these stories before school :S

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DBZ!

Chapter 3: Struggling to Cope

Trunks was sitting beside his mother's bed, listening to her rhythmic breathing. He looked over to the hospital's bench where an old couple was sleeping. And although the surrounding area was quiet and peaceful, Trunks just couldn't go to sleep! Sure Gohan's words affected him positively, and even cheered him up, but now it was all over, and he was back in the hospital. None of the Z fighters stayed with him, but he couldn't know why. 'Maybe none of them cares about your parents.' He shook his head. Where did that thought come from? 'It's true Trunks! You know it!' the voice persisted, 'Come on Trunks. Who are you kidding? Your father slaughtered them once! Why would they worry about him? And your mother… well, they think she's fine!' Trunks couldn't help but agree with the strange voice that sounded so sincere. 'Let them feel your wrath, Trunks! Don't be a pussy! People like them aren't worthy of being your friends!' the voice pressed on while Trunks' ki flared ever so slowly, 'If they were truly friends, they would have stayed! They don't care Trunks! They don't!' that was it; Trunks transformed and startled the other occupants of the room awake as his aura turned a bright gold.

Gohan and Goten woke up with a start.

"Did you feel that, Gohan?" Goten asked as he stretched lazily in his bed, yawning, "Trunks' ki just skyrocketed." He said, his voice more lively. Gohan nodded and shot out the window, 'I knew I should've stayed with him.' Gohan thought as he hurried to the hospital. He directly went to Bulma's room.

"Trunks! It's okay! Calm down!" he tried shouting loud enough for the boy to hear over his roars. Gohan closed in on the seven-year-old and tried reasoning with him, but Trunks wouldn't listen. The only voice he could hear was the one from before, telling him what he knew to be true. Gohan sighed and utilized his last option. He knocked Trunks out and the golden light was gone. Just when he landed, a bunch of doctors came running into the room.

"What is going on?" one of them said as he eyed Gohan warily. The teen-aged boy shook his head, trying his best to convince the doctors that it was nothing. The doctor narrowed his eyes at Gohan, but said nothing more. He motioned for the others to follow him outside.

Once all the doctors were gone, Gohan put Trunks next to his grandparents, and reassured the hyperventilating Bulma that everything was fine. He decided to spend the night with the Briefs in case anything else happens. 'Might as well get some rest. Mom will chew my ear off tomorrow.' He thought and sighed heavily thinking of a way to get out of punishment, or worse… more studying. Then, the group got a good amount of rest before the sun started to shine.

All Trunks could remember was that he heard a voice talking to him before he turned super saiyan and lost control over his actions. Trunks exhaled feeling the slightest pang of guilt over the fact that the voice told him some things and he accepted them without thinking twice. His friends would never turn their back on them. Besides, today was a big day indeed. His mother has permission to go home! And he would not let a silly voice ruin his day. He opened his eyes and saw that Gohan was there, and he couldn't help but wonder what brought him here. Gohan was still sound asleep and Trunks was not rude enough to wake him up. Thus, he walked towards his mother who was staring blankly into space.

"Good morning." He greeted happily, shaking her out of her reverie, she greeted him back, and he started talking to her aimlessly, for the sake of conversation only. After some minutes, Trunks noticed that Gohan was now awake and so were his grandparents. He also noted that they were extremely careful around him, like an egg about to break, but thought nothing of it.

"I want to see my dad." He demanded in a very Vegeta-like way. Gohan could only stare at him with pity, and Trunks frowned.

"I'm sorry Trunks. You can't visit him right now. None of us are allowed to." Gohan said, and that was when the voice started whispering again, 'He's lying! You can see it in his eyes! He just doesn't want you to see your father! Trunks you have to do something!' Trunks glared at the older boy and his frown deepened while Gohan's eyes narrowed.

"I said I want to see my father!" he shouted angrily, his eyes turning teal before he regained his composure. Gohan shook his head, silently hoping that Trunks wouldn't lose control like the day before. But his wish fell on deaf ears when Trunks let out a howl as he transformed unwillingly while the voice encouraged him. Gohan transformed and took on the angry child. Kicks and punches could be heard making contact with flesh, but other than that, nothing was heard nor visible. After some time, Trunks got tired of the fight and lost his transformation as he flew towards the ground. His eyes were wide, and his form was drenched with sweat.

"Trunks are you okay?" Gohan questioned him warily, coming nearer to the purple-haired boy. Trunks shook his head violently.

"I hear someone Gohan." He said looking at the ground.

"What?"

"Someone talking to me, telling me things that are not true, but when it talks, it sounds so convincing, and I believe it."

"What does it tell you?" Gohan asked as he swallowed around the lump in his throat. Trunks looked up at Gohan, his brows furrowing together.

"It said that I have to kill you."

Author's Notes: I hope u enjoyed this chapter and plz let me know what u thought of it! : )


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: thank u everyone for the positive feedback! Because of that, I decided to update today! : )

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DBZ!

Chapter 4: Back Home

Gohan stared intently at Trunks; he couldn't believe what he was hearing! He approached the seven-year-old cautiously and put a hand on his shoulder while he forced a smile. He could tell that Trunks was unaware of his actions and that he felt at fault, and he wasn't about to rub it in.

"It's okay Trunks. Everybody makes mistakes!" he reassured, though he wasn't sure who he was comforting, Trunks or himself. Trunks heaved a sigh, and Dr. Sagi entered the room.

"Good morning guys! I see that you're ready to go back home!" he greeted cheerfully. Trunks nodded and waited patiently for the doctor to finish his check-up on Bulma. Dr. Sagi took some notes, but Trunks was having problems of his own.

'Why didn't you kill him Trunks? Look at him smiling like an idiot! He's making fun of you Trunks!' Trunks tried to ignore the voice, but it only grew louder and louder, 'Just power up and destroy him! He won't even know what hit him!' Trunks tried to think of other things, but that only served to anger the voice which started shouting at him making his head hurt, 'COME ON TRUNKS! IT'S TIME TO END HIS LIFE!' Trunks closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Okay, she's all set to return home. Now Dr. Briefs, if you have a moment to spare, I would like to tell you some things, so follow me to my office if you please." Dr. Sagi said as he led Dr. Briefs outside. Once the doctors got out of the room, the voice lowered its voice and Trunks could barely hear it. He opened his eyes and blinked twice. He could hear nothing. He looked over at Gohan who was conversing with Bulma.

Mrs. Briefs approached her grandchild cheerfully. She giggled giddily.

"Well, Trunks. I hope you feel refreshed today. I was thinking of making you cookies once we go back home. What do you think of that, honey?" she asked her voice full of joy as ever. Trunks nodded vigorously, glad that his grandmother wasn't treating him like a bomb about to explode. However, he still had one demand that hasn't been fulfilled.

"I still want to see my dad." He said almost pleadingly. Bunny couldn't ignore the urgency and despair he had in his voice, but she knew that if he were to see him now, he would freak out.

"You can't see your father now honey." She said, hoping that Trunks would let the matter go till his father got better.

"Why not? What's so wrong with wanting to see my dad?" he asked, his anger flaring without him noticing, "Gohan told me that he's going to be fine, I just want to make sure that he will!" he said, his voice increasing in volume.

"Trunks! That's enough!" Gohan shouted in an attempt to stop Trunks from hurting anyone. He stepped between the two cutting their conversation short.

"I already told you Trunks. You can't see him. You won't understand." He desperately tried to convince the rich boy, but to no avail.

"Gohan, I want to see him! And if you won't take me then I'll go by myself!" Trunks yelled back, earning a disapproving grunt from his grandmother. His temper getting the better of him, Gohan hit Trunks making him fall down. Gohan narrowed his eyes at the recovering boy.

"If you want to see him so badly, then follow me. But don't complain to me when you comprehend the severity of his condition." Gohan said in an unexpected outburst. He escorted Trunks through the many corridors of the hospital until they reached a hallway that had 'Critical Care' written on a sign coming from the ceiling. Trunks inhaled deeply and lagged behind Gohan as sweat started to appear on his temple. 'Why would my dad be here? He's the strongest warrior in the whole universe!' he let his thoughts wander as he strived for a possible explanation. A few minutes later, Gohan stopped in his tracks and pointed to a window. Trunks swallowed and looked in the direction the former was pointing at. Trunks bit down on his lip when he saw the contents of the room. In a bed, with many monitors, needles and a breathing mask, Vegeta was lying unconscious. Trunks could hear the constant beating of the machine beside his father's bed through the glass, but he couldn't believe what he was observing.

Suddenly, the apparatus started beeping loudly and quickly as Vegeta's heart thumped faster. When Gohan heard the change of speed, he decided to get Trunks away from the scene that was about to unfold.

"Trunks let's get out of here." But Trunks didn't pay attention to Gohan. All his mind could grasp was the deluge of doctors who came rushing in to his father's side with a tool which charged electricity into his father's body. Gohan nudged Trunks, but Trunks' eyes were glued to the scene in front of him. Gohan took the boy into his arms and flew out of the corridor, but not before the two heard one of the doctors say.

"It's hopeless, this guy's dying."

By the time the duo got back to Bulma's room, Trunks was hyperventilating. Gohan rubbed his back affectionately, 'This is my fault. If I just had a bit of patience with him, he wouldn't have seen Vegeta like that.'

"There you are you two! The doctor said that we can leave now." Dr. Briefs said cheerfully oblivious to the situation.

"What did the doctor tell you, Dr. Briefs?" Gohan asked willing to forget about the incident.

"Well, he told me that we have to come here every week to check up on Bulma's progress. We also have to try our best not to overwhelm her because it won't be good for her health." The genius finished with a smile. Trunks took one good look at his grandfather and exited the room.

"Was it something I said?" the doctor asked unknowingly while Gohan shook his head as he followed the purple-haired boy outside.

"I want to be left alone." Trunks said without looking back at Gohan from his location by the door. Complying to the youngster's wishes, he went back inside with a nod.

Half an hour later, the Briefs were in their car prepared to go home while Gohan was flying to his house. Gohan got to his house in a few minutes; he opened the door quietly and made his way stealthily to his room. However, it wasn't enough to defeat Chi-Chi's sensors.

"SON GOHAN! WHERE WERE YOU ALL NIGHT?!" she yelled from the kitchen as she stomped to where Gohan was standing. Noticing her son's paleness, she lowered her voice as she checked his temperature.

"Are you okay, Gohan?" she asked worriedly. Gohan nodded.

"Just a bit shaken." He answered truthfully, "Bulma's on her way home." He informed earning a smile from Chi-Chi, "I was wondering if I can stay at their house until she gets better." Chi-Chi's eyes narrowed at this.

"Why would you want that?" Gohan tensed, hesitated, but answered nonetheless.

"Trunks saw his father in a bad time. And he wasn't acting himself for the past few days. I just want to make sure that he's not going to do anything to hurt himself or the ones around him." He explained. Chi-Chi thought about that for some time then nodded her head in approval.

"If there's anything we can do for that poor boy, then we will." She said with a smile. Gohan thanked his mother out of politeness and headed straight for Capsule Corp.

"They grow up so fast." Chi-Chi said as tears welled up in her eyes before they quickly vanished replaced by fury.

"SON GOTEN! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT MAKING PLANES OUT OF YOUR HOMEWORK?!"

The Briefs made it to their house in record time. Bunny got out of the car and opened the car door for Bulma.

"This is where we live honey. Do you remember?" she asked her happily. Bulma shook her head, but when she caught her mother's saddened expression she added.

"But I will soon remember everything." Bunny smiled at her daughter and took her inside, Trunks and Dr. Briefs following close behind. Just when they opened the door, Gohan landed next to them.

"Hi! My mother gave me permission to stay with you until Bulma and Vegeta get better!" he said good-naturedly while Trunks let out a 'humph'.

"You mean until my mom gets better, my dad won't be getting better any time soon. Besides, you only care about my mother; my father means nothing to you." And with that, he entered the house to his room and slammed the door shut. Gohan sighed, his expression one of pity.

"I'm sorry Gohan. Since this whole thing started, Trunks just wasn't himself."

"Don't worry about it Mrs. Briefs. I understand." He said with a comforting smile.

"Oh, you're such a sweet boy! I wish Trunks grows up to be just like you! I have to go make cookies! Come on in and the bots will show you to your room!" she exclaimed happily as if overlooking the harsh circumstances. Gohan shook his head and chuckled lightly, it was something he never did understand. He looked up at Trunks' window and saw him staring right back at him. Trunks turned and got out of sight while Gohan got into the house and was led to one of the guest rooms.

Author's Notes: I hope u like this chapter too! Plz leave a review! : )


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: sorry for the late update :S

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DBZ!

Chapter 5: Grant My Wish!

Trunks tossed and turned in his bed, trying to fight the nightmare that brought nasty thoughts to his mind. A nightmare he started having not too long ago about his family drifting slowly apart where he was left all alone in the end. He woke up suddenly taking a deep breath and forced his eyes shut again so he could try to sleep once again. In a few minutes, he was no longer in his room but in a beautiful forest training with his dad.

_Trunks moved to the side, narrowly avoiding a punch aimed at his head. He allowed a smug smirk to appear on his young face._

_"You have to be a lot faster than that dad!" he said, but his smirk quickly disappeared as he looked around, "Dad?" _

_Suddenly, the scene changed and he was now in the hospital watching that very same man he trained with in the forest years ago screaming in agony. He watched helplessly as the doctors tried their very best to save the one man he truly worshipped. He drew closer to the glass and pressed his forehead against it hoping that his wishes would finally be answered. And for a moment, his father's heart beat normally, his breathing labored and the screams died down… only for his system to completely shut down. Trunks' vision became watery when the machine's beeping became too slow. He closed his eyes, trying to reassure himself, 'This is not happening Trunks! It's just a nightmare! It's not happening!', but everything he told himself shattered when he heard one doctor whisper to another._

_"It's hopeless, this guy's dying." And the apparatus beeped one last time before the sound became a constant buzz._

_"NO! DAD!" Trunks shouted at the top of his lungs as he hit the glass, "NO! DON'T LEAVE HIM LIKE THAT!" but his calls were left unreturned when the doctors didn't even flinch at his high tone and removed the many tubes from the saiyan's body. Slowly, the scene transformed again to show a blue-haired woman sitting vulnerably on a bed, staring into space. However, what caught the boy's attention was what she said next._

_"I don't believe they're actually gone." She said with a weak voice that made Trunks cringe. Bulma held a picture of the three and looked down on it. It was a picture taken on Trunks' sixth birthday and she remembered the day as if it were yesterday. 'We all look so happy…' she thought sadly, letting out a shaky breath. Looking closer in the dim light, Trunks could see that his mother was crying. The genius traced the people in the picture as her tears were set loose while Trunks made his way to comfort the depressed woman, but his hands passed thin air. _

_"Vegeta… Trunks…" Bulma whispered in a small voice, "I will soon join you." She opened a drawer and got hold of a bottle containing white pills. Then, the blue-haired heiress took off the bottle's lid and picked one of the pills. _

_"Mom! I'm not dead! Look at me! I'm right here!" he pleaded, desperately trying to get her attention and stop her from killing herself. She took in a deep breath before putting the drug in her mouth and drinking a glass of water despite Trunks' pleas. She then put another and another asking for death's mercy. Sometime later, her wish came true. Her lids felt heavy and her breathing slowed down. _

_"I love you both." She muttered quietly before her lids dropped and everything around her was no more. Trunks sniffled and closed his eyes forcing his tears to fall down with no regret. 'Will this really happen? Will we all die?' _

_He wept alone in the dark room silently waiting for the nightmare to end and be replaced with a better dream, one in which they were all fine and none of this really happened, but his subconscious had other ideas. The room was replaced by a lovely green land with a variety of flowers and trees. A waterfall could be heard splashing on a lake. Looking around himself, Trunks saw the wonders of nature all spread out in front of him. He watched the lazy clouds floating by in the blue sky. He took in much needed fresh air and ran around the place giggling like the child he was. He imagined his best friend, Goten with him while they had a spar. He pictured his father smirking as he landed a painful blow on his friend. He dreamt about his mom talking to Chi-Chi about all different topics._

_However, his face fell when he was reminded of his parents and how he needed them now. 'I'll do anything to have them back the way they used to be. I will do whatever they want with no complaints… I won't trick anyone… I won't think about crazy ideas to get them mad… All I want is them…' he thought inhaling deeply. His breath was caught in his throat, however, when he saw a bloodied purple-haired boy on the ground. Trunks ran towards the figure and fell to his knees. He turned the boy's head and saw himself. He quickly withdrew his hand holding it with the other while he took in quick breaths. _

Trunks woke up abruptly, his body drenched with sweat. He took in a lungful of air in an attempt to slow down his breathing's fast pace. A few minutes later, he nodded to himself making up his mind. 'I'm going to look for the dragon balls in the morning, if anything can make wishes come true, it sure is the dragon balls! But now I think I have to talk to someone, to get my mind off of things. They wouldn't mind waking up for me, right?' He sighed heavily, 'Grandpa? No he won't understand. Grandma? I don't want to deal with her right now. The only ones who are in the compound other than them are mom and Gohan. Mom's out of the question so that leaves…' he furrowed his brows together, 'I don't know if I completely trust myself around him, but there's no one else.'

He walked confidently towards Gohan's temporary room, but his bravery was breaking a bit by the second. He approached the door and knocked hesitantly. He waited and just as he was about to knock again, Gohan opened the door. Gohan felt Trunks' ki spiking every now and then and was surprised when he felt him heading towards him, but he was ready for a battle if need be.

"Hello Trunks." He said good-naturedly, a smile spreading on his face. Hearing Gohan's reassuring voice, Trunks let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He nodded in greeting, a habit he picked from his father.

"Do you mind if I talked to you about something?" he asked nervously and to his delight, Gohan stepped aside, allowing him to enter the room. Trunks entered the room hastily with Gohan hot on his heels.

"What's up?" the elder asked sitting down on the bed and motioning for Trunks to do the same. The latter instantly felt embarrassed.

"I had a nightmare." He whispered as he sat down and Gohan had to lean in to hear him. Gohan nodded, completely understanding the situation.

"It's often good to talk about it with another, Trunks." Gohan advised, feeling just like his mother when she gave him the same advice when he was younger. Trunks' eyes became watery and he was thankful for the dim lighting of the room. He rubbed furiously at his eyes before starting.

"Everyone was dying Gohan." He said in a low voice, "My mom and dad were dead and I died too."

"Don't worry Trunks. It was only a nightmare. It's not real!" Gohan tried to comfort the other, "And you do know that I would never let anyone hurt you Trunks, don't you?" Trunks glanced at Gohan and let a small smile tug at his lips. He nodded, he was going to be safe as long as Gohan was around. And he knew that Gohan would never leave him, right? Trunks told Gohan all about the rubbish he dreamt of, already feeling better just like Gohan said he would.

"Well, it's all over now, okay?" Trunks nodded, "And if anything else bothers you come back to me, deal?"

"Deal." Trunks beamed happily, "Thanks for listening Gohan." Gohan shook his head whilst smiling.

"No problem. Good night Trunks."

"Good night Gohan."

Gohan closed the door behind the boy and looked at the clock. The didital numbers read 3:30 am. 'Although there isn't much of the night left.' He thought as he dove into the bed sheets, enjoying every hour of rest he could get.

Some hours later, Trunks was the first one to wake up, and he went straight to his grandparents' room. Dr. Briefs was just getting up from his slumber, he quickly got up and was getting ready for an important meeting with an essential company's boss when Trunks knocked on the bedroom door.

The old man got dressed and opened the door for his patient grandson.

"Oh, good morning Trunks!" he said cheerfully.

"Good morning Grandpa!" came the much more excited response, "Do you know where the dragon radar is?" he asked hastily. Dr. Briefs looked thoughtful for a while.

"I believe it is in the lab downstairs. What's the rush?" he asked catching the gleam that appeared in the boy's eyes.

"Nothing." Trunks said as he made his way downstairs. Dr. Briefs shook his head, that gleam always meant trouble. 'But how can he think of trouble at a time like this?' he thought as he shrugged and went back to his own business just as Bunny was waking up.

"Oh, it's time I go make breakfast for that handsome boy, Gohan and our dear grandson! I should hurry up or I'll be late!" she said in her usual bubbly tone. She rubbed her closed eyes, got ready and went down in a hurry.

Elsewhere in the compound, Trunks was in pursuit of a special radar. He looked everywhere in the lab. In drawers, closets, cabinets and everything else! Yet he couldn't seem to find the radar he was looking for. Finally, his eyes settled on the last place he didn't look in. He searched through the many papers on the desk. 'Ah, at last!' he thought triumphantly as he grabbed the dragon radar. Just as he was about to climb the stairs, a loud growl was heard. His cheeks were tinted red with embarrassment though there was no one to see it.

"It's better if I have breakfast first." He said to himself. Instantly, Trunks' nose picked up on his grandmother's delicious cooking's smell. He let his nose lead him to the food and greeted Bunny before devouring his breakfast in a princely manner. When Gohan strode into the kitchen, Trunks was already done.

"Good morning, Mrs. Briefs and Trunks."

"Good morning Gohan." They said in unison.

"Where's Dr. Briefs?" he asked as he took a seat on the breakfast table.

"He went to an early meeting dear." Mrs. Briefs answered happily before continuing cooking her famous pancakes. She put a plate in front of Gohan and the teenager started eating it messily. Trunks looked at him in disgust before clearing his throat and looking away from the scene Gohan was making out of himself with the syrup splattered all over his face.

"I'm going out now." He let them know, "Just to get my mind off of things." He lied knowing that Gohan was going to stand in his way of he knew his whereabouts.

"Well, come back before lunch dear." Bunny told him.

"I might be a little late for lunch Grandma, but don't worry." He said before letting himself out and heading to the first dragon ball.

A couple of hours later, Trunks already had four dragon balls. 'The dragon radar is sure making it easier then the last time I tried looking for these balls.' He thought shuddering at the memory of his and Goten's adventure, and they ended up finding only one, but they hid it in their hiding place nonetheless. He was now heading there to retrieve it and look for the others. He was surprised when he got there, however. The ball they found last year was not buried like they left it. In fact, it was above the ground with two others. It was as if someone was waiting for Trunks to get them, and it was creeping him out. 'What if I'm being watched?' he thought, a slight feeling of fear creeping its way up to his heart, but it was gone as fast as it was gone, 'Bah! It's nothing! I have all the dragon balls now!' he told himself cheerfully. He put the dragon balls in a circle and repeated what he remembered his mother tell him she used to shout to the dragon for it to appear. The orange orbs started glowing strongly and in a few seconds, the blue sky turned dark and Trunks was dumbfounded by the changes happening around him. A loud growl was heard and a green dragon made itself visible. The giant creature's body was decorating the plain darkness and the Earth people stood amazed at the weird things happening. However, a certain group of fighters were not at all confused by the changes but by the calling for the dragon himself.

"YOU HAVE CALLED UPON ME! STATE YOUR WISH!" The great being said in its deep voice. Getting over his astonishment, Trunks was intimidated by the dragon. He shook his head when Shenron let out an impatient growl.

"Shenron! I wish that my mom and dad get back to the way they used to be!" Trunks shouted, high enough for the dragon to hear. Shenron's eyes glowed red, but after a few seconds, the dragon's voice shook the Earth.

"YOUR WISH CANNOT BE GRANTED. STATE ANOTHER ONE!"

Trunks' eyes turned furious.

"You're a mighty dragon that grants wishes! Why can't you grant mine?" The dragon heaved a sigh through his nose making a white gas exit his nose. How he hated explaining himself…

"YOUR MOTHER'S ILLNESS IS A NATURAL CAUSE, AND YOUR FATHER'S INJURY IS NOT NORMAL, I CAN DO NOTHING FOR BOTH OF THEM! WAS THAT YOUR ONLY WISH?"

Trunks would not disgrace himself in front of a being of great power, so he merrily nodded, not trusting his voice right now. For the first time in his long life, Shenron really did feel sorry.

"FAREWELL…" and with that, the dragon was gone and Gohan was at Trunks' side.

"Trunks…"

"You knew right?!" the young boy shouted angrily. Gohan nodded guiltily.

"I just thought that you would take it easier if you thought that we can wish them back to health with the dragon balls if things got worse." Gohan explained, meaning no harm to the purple-haired boy in front of him.

"Yeah? Well, you thought wrong!" Trunks' ki exploded around him and he blasted away from the other boy.

'Everything was a lie!' he thought angrily, 'He would never help me! I mean nothing to him!' He slammed through a mountain, 'He thought he was making me feel better by lying to me, but he just made it worse…' he landed in a place where he could think alone. Or so he thought.

'Trunks, Trunks, Trunks…' the voice spoke with pity as it clicked its tongue, 'You don't have to sit down and do nothing about it Trunks.'

'What do you mean?' Trunks was happy to hear his voice for a change, but he couldn't help but feel ashamed that he was conversing with a sly voice in his mind.

'You can come to me Trunks, and we'll have our revenge together!' the voice offered.

'Revenge? On who?'

'Everyone who has ever wronged us before Trunks! It's our right to get our revenge and it will be our destiny to work together. You will have your revenge on Gohan and I will get what I want.' The voice's tone was encouraging and Trunks liked the voice more and more with each passing second.

'But I don't hate Gohan…' Trunks trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

'You don't?' the voice sounded skeptical.

'Of course I don't! He's my friend!' Trunks said making up his mind. However, the moment when Gohan was telling him what happened to his parents flashed through his mind, and Trunks remembered that Gohan was lying to him since the beginning. He felt a growing hatred towards the teenaged demi-saiyan.

'See Trunks? Gohan is the bad guy! He always was! You should hate him! He did nothing but harm you!' Trunks found himself agreeing with the voice.

'I changed my mind. I do want to get my revenge on him!' the voice snickered evilly.

'Don't worry Trunks! You will! Just follow my directions, you'll get to me in no time! Suppress your ki Trunks, so no one knows where you're going.' Trunks did as he was told and the voice chuckled once more before telling Trunks how to get to it.

On the other hand, Gohan was on a wild goose hunt as he searched the different areas for Trunks.

"Trunks? Are you in here?" he shouted into a cave as he did a quick ki search, finding nothing yet again. He turned on his heel and went elsewhere to look for the boy. 'Where could he possibly be?'

Trunks' feet and the voice's directions got him to a very familiar building. "Huh?" he wondered aloud. A hand was put on his shoulder and he jumped, cursing himself for being caught off guard, his father taught him better. His fighting skills kicking in, he broke the other's grip and turned to face his opponent only to find a man he recognized smiling down at him.

"It's now or never Trunks."

Author's Notes: Here's a long chapter (for me) for u! again thanks for waiting and plz leave a review! : )


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: thank you for your support everyone! And I won't be able to update frequently because of school… just thought I'd let you know! : )

Disclaimer: I'd be a billionaire if I owned it…

Chapter 6: Questions Left Unanswered

Gohan frantically searched for Trunks' ki, but the boy was just so skilled at keeping it suppressed.

"Where are you Trunks?" Gohan asked no one, worry that he inherited from his mother written all over his young features. Quite suddenly, Gohan felt Trunks' ki come back to life, and with it came a glimmer of hope. However, just as abruptly, it decreased back to nothing. The young man let out a scream of frustration. He punched one of the many mountains surrounding him. It collapsed immediately, easing Gohan's anger. The teen heaved a sigh before flying off to find the purple-haired boy. His eyes widened when a vast power level came out seemingly of nowhere. Nothing he couldn't take on, but it surprised him all the same. His body tensed unconsciously, eager to fight and test his power against this person with the gigantic strength. Narrowing his eyes to concentrate, Gohan's tension left his body when he recognized the powerful being. He decided to take a break and stop his search to meet with his old mentor.

Meanwhile, Trunks' mouth was hanging open uncharacteristically.

"Are you okay Trunks?" the man clad in a white suit asked with a frown and dangerous eyes to complete the look. To say the young genius was shocked was an understatement.

"Dr. Sagi?" he wondered out loud, "You're the guy who keeps whispering in my head all the time?" said doctor nodded, "But why?" the boy asked, his brows furrowing in confusion. Dr. Sagi chuckled, clapping his hands together.

"There is a time for everything Trunks. And explaining why is not…" the doctor shut his mouth before he gave any more information about his scheme, "Never mind!" he exclaimed happily. Trunks' brow rose at the weird behavior but gave it no further thought, 'People do tend to act strangely when they have things going on.' He reasoned. He allowed the middle-aged man to lead him, but he decided that one question wouldn't hurt.

"What do you want anyways?" the doctor chuckled darkly, his cheerful expression changing to sinister. When he answered the question, his voice was just as dark.

"You." In an instant, he pulled out a bottle, wet a cloth and put it over Trunks' mouth before the latter could react. Trunks' eyes were getting heavy, but he willed them to stay open, but in a few minutes, the boy was out cold, hanging limp in the man's tough grasp. 'It's not time for explanations, yet.' He held Trunks in both his arms, walking towards his own sanctuary.

In the Briefs' residence, two old people were sitting at the dinner table with their sick daughter.

"Oh honey! Why don't you leave the paper for now? We're at the dinner table!" a bubbly woman's voice exclaimed. Dr. Briefs obediently put the paper away while mulling over some distressing news he was reading.

"What's wrong dear? You look stressed out!" Mrs. Briefs smiled cheerfully. The old man shook his head.

"Many accidents were happening all around… People are dying everywhere, everyday because of some disease that's slowly draining their life energy. Whatever it is, I don't like it," he heaved a sigh, "they are working on a cure, but every potion they give the patients seem to make it worse." He pulled at his moustache lightly, not touching his food, his mind drifting to the odd illness.

"That is not a good topic to talk about during dinner!" his wife scolded while wagging a finger in front of her husband's face.

"Well, you wanted to know…" he mumbled and earned a playful hit on the shoulder. The old couple laughed, not noticing their daughter's distress. She put her hand over her heart, knowing deep down that something was wrong. She took in a deep breath trying to calm her racing heart. She felt that something bad has happened to someone, somebody close, but she just couldn't place the bizarre feeling. Something deep down was urging her to ask about the purple-haired boy, something strong but not yet fully awake. She couldn't help herself, so she blurted out what first came to her mind.

"Where is Trunks?" she asked, not really knowing who that was, but asking anyways. As if on cue, a shrill scream was heard down the hall, startling the three half to death. Ever oblivious, Mrs. Briefs decided to speak and break the tension.

"You better go see who that is dear. Whoever it is seems scared, and I'm pretty sure that the only people in the compound are us!" she ordered her husband as she continued eating her food, missing the horrified expression the man shot her. Bulma was out of her seat in a second, as confident and valiant as ever. She walked cautiously to the door, ignoring her parents' protests as well as their pleas. She lost her composure, however, when she saw what lay before her. Her parents were hot on her trail and soon the three of them let out screams of terror.

Gohan finally made it to his former mentor on the lookout. Piccolo was as serious as always whilst listening to Dende and giving his own opinion.

"Hiya!" he said, his joy a complete contrast of what he was really feeling. Piccolo nodded in acknowledgement while Dende waved his hand with a frown. Gohan's act was instantly dropped when he saw the equally solemn expressions on the duo's faces.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, his voice quivering. It was not every day that one sees Dende look so… so... Piccolo.

"Deceased people are being found deceased everywhere on Earth," Dende said, his voice void of his usual cheerfulness, "because of some infection. And we know where it's exactly coming from." Dende said with a hassled sigh. Gohan knew then, that whatever he was going to hear was anything but good news.

Author's Notes: That's it for this chapter! I hope I made it clear that Dr. Sagi is a psycho… and if not, then I'll just be disappointed… please review! :D


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